On the margins of the latest Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Kenyan diplomatic representatives held high-level bilateral discussions with counterparts from Antigua and Barbuda, seeking formal backing for Kenyan jurist Justice Njoki Ndung’u in her bid for a seat on the International Criminal Court bench. Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Korir Sing’Oei, tabled the formal request for support during closed-door talks, while the two nations simultaneously inked a landmark memorandum of understanding designed to deepen long-term diplomatic ties and expand cross-sector collaborative action. Justice Ndung’u was formally selected as Kenya’s official ICC candidate by President William Ruto, following a rigorous vetting and evaluation process conducted by Kenya’s independent Judicial Service Commission. No public statement from either side following the bilateral meeting confirmed that Antigua and Barbuda had formally committed its endorsement for the candidature. The MOU on diplomatic and political consultations was jointly signed by Dr. Sing’Oei and Sharon Stevens, Antigua and Barbuda’s Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, as part of the two nations’ new formal cooperation framework. A public statement released by the Kenya High Commission based in Kingston, Jamaica, outlined that the new agreement institutes a structured schedule of regular bilateral consultations, with official meetings hosted on a rotating basis between the two Caribbean and East African nations. The scope of these planned dialogues will span shared bilateral priorities, regional policy coordination, and pressing global governance matters, including collective positions on agenda items tabled at intergovernmental bodies where both countries hold membership. Beyond diplomatic and political alignment, the five-year renewable pact lays out clear pathways for joint action across a diverse range of priority sectors: trade expansion, cross-border investment facilitation, tourism promotion, streamlined legal frameworks for orderly labour migration, cultural exchange, educational partnership, scientific research collaboration, and sports development. The initial term of the MOU will run for five years, with a built-in clause that allows both parties to extend the agreement for an additional consecutive five years upon mutual review and consent. Antigua and Barbuda’s delegation to the bilateral talks also included Ambassador Theon Ali, who currently serves as the country’s non-resident envoy to Syria and holds the post of deputy head of mission at Antigua and Barbuda’s embassy in the United Arab Emirates.
Kenya seeks Antigua and Barbuda’s support for International Criminal Court candidate
